Activity for Amadeus
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
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A: How do I sound like Thanos when I write? As you say, they are philosophical; and they seem powerful because they seem true and momentous. > I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same. He is explaining the futility of fearing failure; at least from somebody that firmly believes in destiny. Do what you must,... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Does the use of a new concept require a prior definition? > How do you handle, the introduction of a concept and its use? There are many ways to do this. Generally, you don't introduce it at all, you just have a character (or, say, a sign or something on a meditation center) state the concept. Then you have somebody that is clueless about what it means as... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Should I include details relevant to a "close reading" in my thesis statement? If you show excerpts and cited the book, it is obvious you are crediting the book, and it is not plagiarism. You are not claiming the passages from the book are your own writing , and it is "fair use" (the legal term) to cite passages from a book verbatim in the course of critiquing the book. You do... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Describing weighing an object in hand > Jane popped the stone in her hand. First, I think you know that isn't the right word, the image is like popping a balloon. Second, don't tell us, just show us, describe the scene, and don't worry about if it takes more words. Don't make us guess what she's doing, show us, and tell us what she is ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to foreshadow to avoid a 'deus ex machina'-construction As Galastel says, you have to talk about it. I do that with legends; and make sure my hero believes those legends maybe were real, but probably exaggerated, and certainly the descriptions have probably been embellished a bit. Like believing a religious icon from the past maybe had some miraculous p... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How do discovery writers hibernate? I am a discovery writer. I agree with Liquid, I don't leave it alone. If I get stuck, I edit my story so far. I will start reading, from the beginning, and if I see anything worth fixing, I do. If I finish and don't have an idea, I'll start over. If I go weeks without thinking of the solution, I'll ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Averting Always Chaotic Evil > ... an entire species in a fictional setting as outright evil - no matter how one treats them, they reward kindness with treachery and violence. This premise seems incomplete to me, and unnecessarily harsh. Why don't they exterminate themselves? And if they respond so uniformly, they should be eas... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Building a scene and readability > what are the important elements to consider, and how long should the description be, before getting on with the narration? The most important element to consider is why the reader is reading it. Presuming you are writing a novel, and it is supposed to be entertaining. Your goal is to keep a reade... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Sci-fi change: Too much or Not enough > you are weakening your argument by presenting the extreme edge of the phenomenon you wish to engage with rather than its mainstream. That can be true, at one extreme (IRL) people get out and picket a studio for canceling a favorite series, calling for boycotts. The mainstream says, "Damn, I liked ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Would this character be classified as an antivillain, antihero, or something else entirely? I think this is an opinion piece, but IMO the protagonist is a hero, and the scientist is a villain, and the ending is a mixed bag. For starters, anybody trying to coerce everybody against their will is evil, a slaver, no matter what their motivations. Just because he happens to be right or happens ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Is a fighting a fallen friend with the help of a redeemed villain story too much for one book No, it is not too much (I agree with Galastel). If you are feeling it is too much, I suspect your story is underdeveloped, or under-imagined. You need more scenes to illustrate the transitions smoothly, which means you need to invent more story, more conflicts with more emotion. It means your outlin... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to avoid unconsciously copying the style of my favorite writer? I don't know Murakami, so I think it depends on how "trademark" his style is. If it is particularly unique, I wouldn't want to be seen as an obvious imitation. But if it is just good writing, I'd use the style. You will probably write yourself out of it anyway, using it as a starting point to devel... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Coulrophobia: the fear of clowns I would say no. The phobias are more in the realm of irrational fears, not rational ones. So she might develop coulrophobia, but she doesn't have it just because she got raped by somebody dressed as a clown. She is more likely to fear that specific clown makeup; not the whole category of clowns in g... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How do I stop my characters falling in love? Imagine the Nurse is a lesbian. In WW2 and in the military she wouldn't be "out", but it isn't like lesbians did not exist back then. Her fiancé is a ruse; I know single lesbians that still wear a wedding ring, an easy way to shut down male inquiries. I will also note, not all lesbians are butch, th... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to write references? Yes, you should cite it, particularly if the data you downloaded might be wrong. But either way, the data is the product of their work and you shouldn't take any implied credit for it. You should have guidelines for citing a website, but at minimum it will be the just the web address and the date. L... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Character is called by their first initial. How do I write it? I would write it G, but you could write it Gi or Gee, if you like either of those better. This may be a "matter of opinion" question. In comments, there is a complaint "Gi" could be pronounced with a hard G, like "go" with a long "ee" instead of an "oh". I agree, but the author can explain, the fir... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Should I describe a character deeply before killing it? Obviously the little girl is doing the hating, and her father is not a stranger. You want HER to hate the killer. You can show that, being little she can even tell him so, there can be a dialogue exchange between them. Her actions, her fear, her speech can all convey her hatred, fear and dislike. Yo... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: In a script how can I signal who's winning the argument? You need a prop. I will explain! Somebody fighting a losing argument is typically fighting because the consequences for them of losing the argument is giving up something valuable or dear to them, or it means taking a risk they fear taking. If the consequence is TOO awful for them (perhaps they don... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: If you are beginner when it come to writing, should you be pantser? Or plotter? I'm a discovery writer. I provide a lot of detail on beginning a story as a discovery writer, in this answer. When I began I tried to be a plotter, but it didn't work; my creativity was used up in devising a plot, then it just felt like a job working through the outline; and on top of that, I didn't... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: The seven story archetypes. Are they truly all of them? No, they are not all of them. This is a common game, there are many books claiming there are 3 plots, 7 plots, 12 plots, 21 plots, 23 plots, whatever. You could say there is only one plot: Character Has A Problem. Overcoming the Monster. The monster is the problem. Rags to Riches. Poverty, disresp... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Character Arcs - What if the character doesn't overcome the big lie, flaws or wounds? Stories do not require growth of a character; there are many series (Detective series being the most prevalent) in which the MC doesn't really change much at all, even if they do have emotional experiences. They may or may not grow during the series. Often these are adventure series or "mystery" seri... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Is an easily guessed plot twist a good plot twist? > Is a plot twist still a "twist" if my reader knows it? It is not a surprise, but it is still a twist. Readers can only guess at things, they cannot know anything for certain until they have read it. They may feel certain of something, but it can still be satisfying to have their suspicions confirm... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Magic is the twist > Is there any possible way to do it right, without foreshadowing it so hard that the twist is moot? I would say ... No. But you can write the story, without letting your MC agree to call it magic. This is the way it is done in many stories; an MC is searching for something "scientific" and discove... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Self-Publishing Chapters I haven't heard of it. When you can get whole books for free, and many books for 99c, this seems an unlikely route to successful marketing. If any piecemeal approach has a chance of working, I'd suggest giving away 3 chapters for free, as a free sample of the writing quality, with a payment for the ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Do we have to introduce the character's name before using their names in a dialogue tag? No. Trust your reader's intuition for the obvious. If the first lines of your book read: > "Put that back!" Alicia scolded. > > "No! Mine!" Richard said, defiant. > > She grabbed the plastic bottle of cough syrup from him, and put it back on the grocery shelf. He started crying, and reached for it... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Trivial non-dark twist in dark fantasy I think it is a mistake to write half a book as a grim fantasy, then have a twist that undoes that. To me, I am disappointed if the author builds up a dire scenario that suddenly fizzles out, the hero wanders off, the villain turns out to be working an elaborate insane scheme to corner the Nutella ma... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Do I have to mention my main character's age? Yes, it is fine to leave a character's age vague. If your story includes tales from the past, historical events readers would know, or scenes of interactions with other characters from years ago (like her parents or siblings or friends), then you should keep track of a timeline for each character, ho... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Developing a dialogue that unexpectedly leads to strong feelings between two strangers I'd say you have a start. The trick is done before the conversation ever starts, at least for one of the characters. I'll presume "strong feelings" is a euphemism for love or friendship. Also I am not sure if the person granting the favor is male or female. So let's call them Joe and Charlie (a 50/5... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Indicating fill pieces in a script After CUT TO: the next scene heading should be on its own line. > ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to tell readers that I know my story is factually incorrect? > I simply let my character survive a wound that he shouldn't have survived, and then left a note at the bottom about what would have really happened. As a reader, this would break my immersion and ruin the story, everything after that is BS, I know it, the author knows it, and did it anyway. Chang... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How important are the author's mood and feelings for writing a story? > For example, while writing an erotic scene, is it important for the author to feel the same way as they expect the readers to feel when describing the scene? For some subjective feelings or emotions, I'd say its a good gauge for the first draft. If you think you are writing an erotic scene and yo... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: what techniques or approaches can I use to explore distasteful concepts while also making them necessary? > Successful in the sense that it is the only viable solution. In this world, democracy has failed as an institution, with the various powers unable to come together in unity and oppose the invaders. That seems highly improbable; it seems you are saying that people that believe in "democracy" would ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How do I write a compelling villain-all-along twist? One such strategy is to have your villain, on more than one occasion, actual act against his own best interest and defeat his own plot, kill his own men, etc, in order to convince the hero (and the audience) that he is truly on the side of the hero. He can do this when he perceives the hero is going... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Is it okay for a chapter's POV to shift as it progresses? I think it is fine to shift, but I think you need a marker of some sort to ensure the reader is aware of whose POV they are in. This could be done in prose, but it might be easier to just use the scene separator within the chapter, usually three dashes centered on a line, to signal to the reader som... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Is straight-up writing someone's opinions telling? I would add one word to that (then I'll tell you why): > Visa squared his shoulders, knowing Reino respected confidence. An opinion is part of somebody's internal life; and how they see the world. Without the word 'knowing', it is the narrator telling us something about Reino's internal life, and ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: From reactive to proactive; When should the protagonist change tack? For me, the midpoint is indeed when I shift from a reactive phase to a proactive phase, but I still need a scene, a dramatic event, that triggers this change of perspective for the MC (Main Character, or Main Crew if you have several MC). So in a way it is both, but the midpoint shift can be subtle,... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Is 7000 words too long for a chapter? I don't think it is too long, I write chapters nearly that long. Some readers (even my own) complain that they use chapters to gauge their progress through the story and as stopping points, and very long chapters mess them up on that. You don't have to break yours up, but in response to that I have... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: When to ask for constructive criticism? > at what point to ask for constructive critisism. It depends on how you write. Some people plot out their novels in great detail, every foreshadowing, plot turn and twist. They know their characters backward and forward, and everything that will change about them during the story. So when they are ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: What effect does compounding bring when used in the title of a song, poem, story? Inventing new words, including by compounding, is supposed to be clever, or indicate a new concept that should have its own word, sometimes by linking two words that were previously independent modifiers. Einstein's theory of General Relativity treated time as another dimension of space, thus making... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How would you write the dialogues of two characters talking in a chat room? Although +1 to Cyn, I would write it as prose, with italics for the words and the commonly used descriptions or character representations of any emoticons (since more than a handful of graphics is quite frowned upon in novels; publishers don't like them). In other words, describe it as the character... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: When to finally reveal plot twist to characters? The 8-point arc: 1. Stasis (Normal World) 2. Trigger (Inciting Incident) 3. The quest (Leaving the Normal World) 4. Surprise[s] (actions complicating/learning the problem) 5. Critical choice (Understanding, then choosing risk) 6. Climax (Solving the problem, incurring the costs) 7. Reversal (Fallout... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How do I write a romance that doesn't look obvious > How can chemistry be perceived without giving evidence that they will be a couple in the future? You can make the chemistry perceptible without going over the top, but then you need a barrier between them, something the characters feel will not change and will not allow them to be together. One o... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Should you avoid redundant information after dialogue? Just get rid of the redundancies, and it will sound fine. > Original: "Here's the chip in question." he said as he handed to chip to him. "It's a very old chip, make sure you take care of it." > > Revised: "Here's the chip in question," he said, as he handed it to him, "It's very old, make sure you... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Using ”as” after dialogue tags It is fine to extend a sentence after a tag, and the first form is correct: "he said" should also be followed by a comma. > "I don't like this at all," he said, as the door closed behind them. (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Is killing off one of my queer characters homophobic? If Saskia is his biological mother, presumably she was bisexual, not exactly gay. So although in the LGBTQ community, she was not lesbian or gay, you aren't following that trope. But that is nitpicking: The real morally corrupt element of that Trope is making LGBTQ an evil punishable by death, and s... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: What's a moment that's more impactful on a reread called? I would say Rewatch Bonus or The Ending Changes Everything. As a discovery writer, I often don't know my ending until I have written 50% or even 70% of my first draft. So when I am done I actually go back through and look for moments in which I can rewrite a scene for foreshadowing, or add Rewatch B... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: When should a character refer his dad or someone close in third impersonal person? @Liquid covers most of my answer. Sometimes you would refer to your father by his title or office, not to emphasize distance, but to emphasize that role of influence, especially if their blood relationship is known. If everybody knows Jake is the son of the CEO, then Jake saying "The CEO isn't goin... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Can I use a TV sitcom name as part of my book title You likely need to do a trademark search, and see if the title is trademarked. Go to The USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office). Select "Basic Word Mark Search", the first option in the list. For the Search Term, put in your title: For example, "Dead Like Me" (without the quotes). This... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How can one write good dialogue in a story without sounding wooden? You leave out small talk by focusing on big talk! By this I mean every thing a person says should be something at least one person in the conversation needs to hear, or wants to hear, or is surprised to hear, or if the other person ignores it, should have wanted to hear. Dialogue has consequence. C... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: In scientific writing, what is the protocol for shortening nouns? Typically, if we are going to introduce any shorthand for a long name (including initializing it), the first time we use it in full and then note the shorter name we will use throughout: This can just be the shortened name in parentheses if no worded explanation is needed; (xxx) implies "hereinafter ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |